CHAPTER 1

Making Prostrations to the Distinguished Objects of Veneration

“Guru sarva nāmaḥ.¹³⁷

I prostrate to the six kind teachers

Who thoroughly protect all beings—

Mañjuśrī and Buddhajñāna,

The teacher Dīpaṃkarabhadra and Yigepa,

Karṇapa and the abbot Śrijñāna,

[All of] whom conferred upon me [the teachings of] the Common Vehicle.

“Immutable Akṣobhya, lord Amitābha,

Ratnasaṃbhāva, the blessed Amoghasiddhi,

And the great Vairocana, chief among all conquerors—

I prostrate to the peerless vajra-holders,

The unexcelled five buddha families, who have initiated me

Into all the secret mantras in order to plant the seeds of goodness.

“I prostrate to the eight most kind teachers

Who granted me all the secret mantras—

To Nāgārjuna, the lord of beings, and Āryadeva,

To Maticāla and Tilopa, the yogi,

To Catipāla and Māñjuśrībhadra,

To Bodhibhadra and the teacher Śāntipa.

“I prostrate to the five most kind teachers

Who conferred upon me all the secret mantras—

To Buddhajñāna and Gūhyapa,

To Śānta, Kusalī, and Kusalī.¹³⁸

“I prostrate to the ten who granted me the Guhyasamāja [teachings]—

To Indrabhūti, Nāgā, and Yoginī,

To Saraha and Nāgārjunagarbha,

To Candrakīrti, Virya, and Maitrīpa,

To Copipa and Lalitavajra,

To Sagep and the peerless Śāntipa.

“I prostrate to the five most kind gurus

Who conferred upon me the Guhyasamāja [teachings]—

To Nāgārjuna, Candrakīrti, and Vidyākaukila,

To peerless Kusalī and Kusalī.

“I prostrate to the eleven who gave me Guhyasamāja [teachings]—

To Buddhajñānapāda and Padmapa,

To the Dharma king Indrabhūti and the lady Lakṣmī,

To Chiwoikyé and Māñjuśrīmitra,

To Buddhajñāna and Kampala,

To Lalitavajra and Sagep,

And to the unrivaled teacher Śāntipa.

“I prostrate to the four most kind teachers

Who granted me all the mother tantras—

To Lohidhakipa and Dharika,

And to my root guru, the brahman Jetāri. [32]

“I prostrate to the two most kind gurus

Who granted me the instructions of Yamāntaka—

To Kamalarakṣita, the supreme among scholars,

And to Kṛṣṇapa, the one who carries the glory of greatness.

“I prostrate to the five who granted me

The instructions of kriya yoga—

To Buddhajñāna and Buddhaśānta,

To Buddhaguhya and Kusulu,

And to the one known as Kusulu [junior].

“I prostrate to the five gurus of the view—

To Nāgārjuna, Candrakīrti, and Vidyākaukila,

And to the Guru Avadhūti brothers.

“I prostrate to those immersed perfectly in the vast practices—

To Maitreya, Asaṅga, Vasubhandu, and Vimuktisena,

To Bhadanta Vimuktisena and the bodhisattva Chogkyi Dé,

To the bodhisattva Vinitasena and to Yakṣaśrī,

To Haribhadra, Ratnabhadra, and Ratnasena,

And to my root guru, the peerless Serlingpa.

“I prostrate to the six most kind gurus

Who granted me the vast practices—

To Mañjuśrī and Akṣyamati,

To Eladhari and Viravajra,

To the bodhisattva Ratnaśrī,

And to my root guru, the lord Serlingpa.

“The eighteen gurus are the chief refuges of the world;

O precious gurus of the [lineage of] vast practices,

Sustain us—myself and my followers—

And keep us united until [we attain] enlightenment.

“I prostrate to the eight kind gurus

Who granted the tantras and the perfection of wisdom—

To guru Nāgārjuna and Āryadeva,

To Candrakīrti and the yogi Tilopa,

To Vidyākaukila and Jñānabodhi,

And to Mañjuśrībhadra and Ratnākaraśānti.

“I prostrate to the eight kind gurus

Who granted the tantras and the perfection of wisdom—

To Nāgārjuna himself and the bodhisattva Āryadeva,

To Matricitra and the yogi Tilopa,¹³⁹

To Catipāla and Mañjuśrībhadra,

And to Bodhibhadra and the teacher Śāntipa.

“I prostrate to the great siddha Mañjuśrībhadra

And to the siddha Śāntipa who out of a kind heart

Grants whatever teachings are most suited

[To the needs of beings] throughout all time.

“I prostrate to the nine great siddhas—

To the preceptor Vajrapāṇi and Padmapa,

To the king Indrabhūti and the lady Lakṣmī,

To Jñānabodhi and Mañjuśrībhadra,

And to my root guru, the peerless Śāntipa.

“I prostrate to the four gurus of the inspirational blessing [lineage]—

To the most compassionate sugata Vajradhara,

To the most holy Tilopa and Nāropa,

And to guru Ḍoṃbhīpa, who possesses the highest blessings. [33]

“I prostrate to the six gurus of the inspirational blessing [lineage]—

To the great scholar and adept Buddhapālita,

To Buddhajñāna and Buddhaśānta,

To Buddhaguhya and the peerless Kusalī,

And to my root guru, Kusalī, the most kind.

“I prostrate to the seven most kind gurus

Who grant the generation of the mind of supreme awakening—

To Maitreya, Asaṅga, Vasubandhu, and Sthiramati,

To the two Kusalīs and the teacher Serlingpa.

“I prostrate to the two heroic gurus

Who grant the uncommon method of mind generation—

To the mahāsiddha yogi, great embodiment of loving-kindness,¹⁴⁰

And to the one called Rakṣita, who gives away even his own flesh.

“I prostrate to the nine learned among the learned ones,

Who are versed in all philosophical systems—

To Mañjuśrī and Avadhūtipa,

To Dīpaṃkarabhadra and Śākyamitra,

To Riwo Sangpo and Sönyom Shap,

To Kakola and Sagep Shap,

To the great scholar Ratnakāra,

And to the sublime teacher Śāntipa.

“I prostrate to the five precious benefactors

Who grant the treasury of essential instructions—

Nāgārjuna and Nāgābodhi,

Catipa and the teacher Śāntipa.¹⁴¹

“I prostrate to the five kind teachers

Who grant the uncommon pith instructions—

To Nāgārjuna, Candrakīrti, and Vidyākaukila,

To the teachers Avadhūti and Serlingpa.

“I prostrate to the six treasuries of instructions—

To Nāgārjuna himself and Āryadeva,

To Candrakīrti and the yogi Tilopa,

To Matisthira¹⁴² and Jñānabodhi.

“I prostrate to the teachers who uphold the hidden conduct

And reside in the invisible expanse:

“To help lead all who have excellently gathered there—

The fortunate ones, gods, humans, and demigods—

You reveal, as if in repetition, the lineage

Of this single river, dividing it into two or three streams.

In the past, throughout all your lives,

You taught the Dharma in person.

Today you appear in space and confer the teachings.

Some of you reveal [the teachings] through emanations.

I prostrate to you, O teachers who choose anonymity

And reside in the expanse of imperceptibility.

O excellent assembly of one hundred and fifty [teachers],

Bless us without interruption.

“As I proclaim the teachings and the excellent names

Of countless scholars and adepts

Who are inseparable from the sugatas,

I, too, am revealed to have an excellent origin.

“Through this may all the beings gathered here [34]

Pass through the presence of the holy teachers

From this instant throughout all their lives

And enhance their two excellent accumulations.

May they attain the ultimate dharmakāya of great bliss

That is within the sphere of the Buddha’s form body.”

Drom Jé then exclaimed:

“Excellent! O most kind supreme teacher.

Excellent! I have heard the wonderful and noble names.

I have ascertained the wonderful merits of cultivating them.

If summarized well it is thus:

       Homage to the gurus!

“Apart from this there is nothing else.”

This concludes the first chapter from the Jewel Garland of Dialogues, “Making Prostrations to the Distinguished Objects of Veneration.”